A land without Jasmine
By: Wajdi al-Ahdal ; translated by William Maynard Hutchins
Publisher: Garnet Publishing; Garnet Publishing, Limited
Published: 2012
Place of publication: Reading
Language: eng
ISBN-13: 9781859643112; 9781859643129
Subjects: Women; Fiction; Virtue; Femmes; Romans, nouvelles; Vertus; FICTION; General
Description: Under the watchful eyes of the men in her community the beautiful, virtuous Jasmine goes about her daily business, keeping to herself and avoiding the male gaze at all costs. That is until one Valentine's Day, when this beguiling creature vanishes without a trace. As details surrounding her sudden disappearance emerge the mystery deepens. Sexual depravity, honour, obsession ... the motives are numerous and the suspects plentiful. It seems that everyone wants a piece of the charming young student. Family, friends, fellow students and nosey neighbours are quick to make their own judgements on the case, but the truth may be far stranger than anyone anticipates. Wajdi al-Ahdal is a Yemini novelist with a fresh and provocative voice. His works are often controversial and A Land Without Jasmine is no exception, candidly exploring coming of age in a land of sexual repression. He is the author of four novels and four short story collections, and was nominated for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction in 2008 for his novel The Quarantine Philosopher.
Table of contents: title: Cover; Contents; About the Author; Note from the Translator; 1. The Queen; 2. The Minion of Pleasure and Power; 3. A Man Blinded to This Disconcerting World by Supernatural Delusions; 4. The Sacrificial Lamb; 5. The Sceptic whose Scepticism Disappears Like a Scattering Cloud; 6. The Ascetic